Community group cleans up Chicago industrial district What a Long, Strange Trip It Has Been On August 31, 1986, the cargo ship Khian Sea loaded 14,000 tons (28 million pounds) of toxic incinerator ash from Philadelphia and set off on an odyssey that symbolizes a predicament we all share: what to do with our refuse. Starting in the 1970s, Philadelphia burned most of its municipal garbage and sent the resulting incinerator ash to a landfill in New Jersey. In 1984, when New Jersey learned that the ash contained enough arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, dioxin, and other toxins to be classified as hazardous waste, it refused to accept any more. When six other states also rejected incinerator ash shipments, Philadelphia was in a predicament. What would they do with 180,000 tons of the stuff every year? The answer was to send it offshore to countries with less stringent environmental standards. A local contractor offered to transport it to the Caribbean. The Khian Sea was to be the first of those shipments.

When the Khian Sea tried to unload its cargo in the Bahamas, however, it was turned away. Over the next 14 months, the ship also was refused entry by the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Panama, Bermuda, Guinea Bissau (in West Africa), and the Netherlands Antilles. Finally in late, 1987, the Haitian government issued a permit for "fertilizer" import, and the crew dumped 4000 tons of ash on the beach near the city of Gonaives. Alerted by the environmental group, Greenpeace, that the ash wasn't really fertilizer, Haitian officials canceled the permit and ordered everything returned to the ship, but the Khian Sea slipped away in the night, leaving behind a large pile of loose ash. Some of the waste has been moved inland and buried, but much of it remains on the beach, slowly being scattered by the wind and washed into the sea. After it left Haiti, the Khian Sea visited Senegal, Morocco, Yugoslavia, Sri Lanka, and Singapore looking for a place to dump its toxic load. As it wandered the oceans looking for a port, the ship changed its name from Khian Sea to Felicia to Pelacano.

Its registration was transferred from Liberia to the Bahamas to Honduras in an attempt to hide its true identity, but nobody wanted it or its contents. Like Coleridge's ancient mariner, it seemed cursed to roam the oceans forever. Two years, three names, four continents, and 11 countries later, the troublesome cargo was still on board. Then, somewhere in the Indian Ocean between Singapore and Sri Lanka all the ash disappeared. When questioned about this, the crew had no comment except that it was all gone. Everyone assumes, of course, that once out of sight of the land, it was just dumped overboard. If this were just an isolated incident, perhaps it wouldn't matter much. However, some 3 million tons of hazardous and toxic waste goes to sea every year looking for a dumping site. A 1998 report by the United Nations Human Rights Commission listed the United States as a major exporter of toxic waste. In 1989-at least in part due to the misadventures of the Khian Sea-33 countries met in Basel, Switzerland, and agreed to limit international shipment of toxic waste, especially from the richer countries of the world to the poorer ones.

Eventually 118 countries-not including the United States-ratified the Basel Convention. In 1995, the United States announced it would ratify the Convention but reserved the right to ship "recyclable" materials to whomever will take them. Since almost everything potentially can be recycled into something, that hardly puts any limits at all on what we send offshore. The latest development in the saga of the Khian Sea, is that Haiti has asked Philadelphia to help pay for cleanup of the ash still sitting on the beach. Eastern Environmental Services, one of whose principal owners was responsible for dumping the load in Haiti 12 years ago, has agreed to retrieve what's left and bury it in a landfill in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia's share would be $200,000, or about one-third of the total cleanup cost. The city of brotherly love in spite of having a $130 million budget surplus last year, claims it can't afford to help out. Is this a case of environmental racism, or simply a matter of being fiscally responsible? Although most of us don't have as big or world-famous a problem as Philadelphia, all of us contribute to some degree to related problems.

We all generate vast amounts of unwanted stuff every year. Places to put our trash are becoming more and more scarce as the contents have become increasingly unpleasant and dangerous. We don't want it in our backyards, so it often ends up in those of the poorest and least powerful, both in this country and around the world. In this chapter, we will look at the kinds of waste we produce, who makes them, what problems their disposal cause, as well as how we might reduce our waste production and dispose of it in more environmentally friendly ways. The Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Ten Years Later March, 1999 Prince William Sound, Alaska It was ten years ago on March 23 that the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, leaking 11 million gallons of oil into Alaska's Prince William Sound and creating the most notorious oil spill in US history. While the spill was a major disaster, it has provided unusual opportunities for scientific research into the aftermath of a major spill. With the tenth anniversary scientists and policy makers are reflecting on what we have learned, and what we still don't know, about responding to oil spills.

valdez (57.0K) valdez Although the Exxon Valdez spill was far from the biggest oil spill in history, and even though it was only one of dozens of major spills that occur every year, this accident gained notoriety because it was the biggest marine spill in US history and because it occurred in the spectacularly scenic Prince William Sound. The area is treasured for its scenic beauty and its wildlife, including sea otters, orcas, and many species of sea birds. Currents carried the oil 500 miles from the wounded tanker, staining 1,400 miles of beaches. At least 300,000 birds and 2,600 otters were killed. Armies of clean-up crews spent over 2 billion dollars blasting beaches with steam cleaners and scrubbing oil from rocks by hand all under extensive national media coverage. Most alarming of all was the discovery that the ship ran aground because the captain was drunk at the helm. The resulting lawsuit dragged out for several years and is still undergoing appeals. Exxon has still not paid damages to plaintiffs in the lawsuits.

Ten years later, Exxon, the corporation that owned the ship, is trumpeting the success of clean-up and pointing to once oily beaches that now show no sign of oil. Likewise, cruise ship operators in the region are very happy with the outcome of a spill. From the deck of a ship, the shore and waters of the sound look serene and pristine, as though the spill never occurred. Furthermore, the notoriety of the Valdez spill has multiplied the number of tourists visiting the region, increasing revenues. princwil (20.0K) princwil Biologists and sea kayakers, though, have a closer view of the beaches and estuaries, and they see a very different state of affairs. Just below the surface oil and tar still saturate the beaches, and many species have failed to recover or return. While salmon and some birds appear to be recovering, loons, seals, orcas, and some ducks are showing little or no improvement ten years later. Still more disturbing, ecologists studying the area say that in some cases the millions of dollars spent on clean up actually caused more harm than help.

Steam-cleaning and pressure washing drove the oil deep into the rocky beaches and killed natural bacteria that could have helped break down oil residues. Birds have yet to return to beaches. Scientists studying clean-up methods and the effects of the spill have learned a number of important things. To start with, they are reconsidering the effectiveness of human efforts in spill remediation. The $2 billion spent on the Valdez clean up only captured about 15% of the spilled oil. Natural microorganisms and solar energy were probably more effective overall. It appears that hand-cleaning birds and mammals by hand does relatively little good, since the cleaned animals are likely to die after release. Oil exposure also compromises the immune system in young fish, an effect that could significantly impact long-range stability in the salmon fishing industry. Of two dozen species watched by a special monitoring group, only two have recovered in ten years, the bald eagle and river otter. On the other hand, no species in the region have gone extinct, and many appear to be stabilizing. Perhaps the most important lessons are that natural cleanup systems work and that complex ecosystems can be very resilient.

For further information, see these related web sites: SnowOtter Edventure PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND info South Central Alaska's Prince William Sound is beautiful, glacial estuary shaped by the forces of wind, ice, water, earthquakes and man. In March 1989, the hull of the tanker Exxon Valdez cracked open on the rocks of Prince William Sound, spilling 10 million gallons of oil into this pristine subarctic ecosystem. Almost a decade later, restoration continues as the natural and social fabric of the Sound heals from the shock of the spill, the response and the politics that ensued. EARTH ODYSSEYS invites you to join us for the SnowOtter Ed-venture, a 10 day journey to see and hear firsthand how Prince William Sound was and continues to be affected by the spill. As you develop your own relationship with the Sound, you will experience its natural beauty and resiliency, and the long-term impacts of the oil. As part of the SnowOtter Ed-venture, we will explore the Sound and the path of the Exxon Valdez oil. Double kayaks will be used to travel to some of the more famous oiled beaches that gained notoriety during the spill's clean-up.

As we visit these beaches with oil spill scientists and others who worked in the Sound during the spill, you will learn about the treatment and assessment of the shoreline and have an opportunity to personally witness the recovery of the Prince William Sound ecosystem. You will enjoy Prince William Sound's natural ecology: fishing for halibut or salmon, crabbing, viewing glaciers, experiencing humpback and killer (orca) whales, sea otters, Dall porpoises, eagles and other Sound wildlife, strolling along a beach or paddling quietly along a secluded shoreline or among the icebergs. EARTH ODYSSEYS' SnowOtter Ed-venture requires no prior wilderness or kayaking experience. However, reasonably good physical condition is necessary for you to actively participate in shore hikes and kayak trips. Each SnowOtter Ed-venture includes two nights bed and breakfast lodging in Anchorage (arrival and departure), transportation to and from Whittier via the Alaska Railroad, all meals while aboard the Babkin, and use of the ship's recreation equipment including kayaks and fishing gear. You will also receive "An Experience of Natural Recovery," a journal containing notes on the spill sites you will visit with room for your personal notes and photographs.

Each SnowOtter Ed-venture is limited to six participants . About Gulf of Alaska Cruises - Alaska Cruises and Land Tours About Gulf of Alaska Cruises Seven Day Northbound Gulf of Alaska Cruises from Vancouver BC or Southbound from Seward or Whittier Alaska Why should you choose a 7 day northbound or southbound cruise over a roundtrip from Vancouver or Seattle? Simple - If you are doing a 7 day roundtrip Inside Passage cruise, you are only going as far north as either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. The second half of your trip is going back the same way you came. It is a great trip, but in reality, you are only seeing a small part of Alaska, only about 28% of it. If you do a Gulf of Alaska cruise, you continue northward from Glacier Bay across the Gulf of Alaska into Prince William Sound, among the most pristine and beautiful places on earth. You are treated to spectacular views of College Fjord and the Ivy League Glaciers. You will be glad you went. You will then travel on to Seward through Kenai Fjords National Park, an incredible place to view marine wildlife. From Seward, you will travel across the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage.

From Anchorage, you will catch your flight home. The additional scenery and wildlife viewings will be rewarding. You will have seen much more of Alaska which will lead to a much richer experience. Here are the places you will visit on a typical Gulf of Alaska cruise. Your itinerary will include some, but not all of these ports of call. If you are doing a southbound cruise, the order would be reversed Vancouver BC - Scenic and sprawling, Vancouver is fronted by the Pacific, backed by the alluring Coast Range and dotted with green parks. The city's busy waterfront is within walking distance of its business center. Nearby you'll find leafy Stanley Park, exotic Chinatown and many fine museums. Inside Passage Cruising - Enjoy such stunning sights as green islands, sparkling glaciers, and a coastline that features the most majestic of mountains as you cruise the Inside Passage. Juneau - Accessible only by sea or air, Alaska's modern capital city maintains the trappings of its 1880's gold-rush era. Discover the Capital building, historical distric and the infamous Red Dog Saloon. Nearby, explore the Mendenhall Glacier, a massive river of blue ice.

Ketchikan - Built on an island along the watery Inside Passage of the southern end of Alaska, Ketchikan exudes a frontier spirit. It is known for its many totem poles, dramatically carved by Indian artists. Visit the quaint houses and shops on historic Creek Street, built on stilts along a stream. Skagway - When gold was discovered in the Klondike, the settlement of Skagway grew overnight from one cabin into a city of 20,000. The prospectors finally left, but the false-front buildings and boardwalks remain. Taste the history at the Red Onion Saloon or at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Sitka - Bounded by towering mountain peaks and the Alaska Marine Highway, Sitka boasts two pasts, as a Tlingit Indian village and as the capital of Russian America. Capture the spirit of both legacies at Sitka National Historic Park or at the elaborate Russian Orthodox St Michael's Cathedral. Icy Strait - Greys, Minks, Humpbacks and Orcas are just some of the impressive whales you may encounter along the Icy Straits in Alaska. With a forest-like atmosphere, the Straits offer a main feeding area for many marine mammals.

Hiking or kayaking will be the perfect way to view these amazing mammals in their natural habitat. Haines - This historic town occupies a breaktaking setting on a peninsula along the deep blue waters of the Lynn Canal. Its Tlingit Indian heritage is preserve through art and dance at the Chilkat Center for the Arts. Visit the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve to see Alaska's most magmificent birds. The Glaciers - Typically you will only visit one of these Glaciers (You won't be disappointed with any of them!) Hubbard Glacier cruising - Hubbard Glacier, longest tidewater glacier in North America, begins its 76 mile journey to the sea on the slopes of Mount Logan, the tallest moutain in Canada and part of the largest non-polar icefield in the world. At the point where it enters Disenchantment Bay, at the head of Yakutat Bay, it is 6 miles wide. Hubbard Glacier has been known to advance so fast that it dammed Russell Fjord and created a lake behind it, trapping many marine species. A dozen years after this phenomenon, the dam no longer exists, and Hubbard is no longer the galloping glacier it once was.

But the continent's greatest tidewater river of ice stilll flows at a fast trot, regularly disgorging enormous calves into the waiting arms of the sea. Glacier Bay cruising - With it's snow capped mountains rising to over 15,000 feet, Glacier Bay is one of America's most spectacular National Parks. Made up of a grand collection of jagged glaciers comprising an entire array of ecosystems, lush forests and protected coves open way to beautiful saltwater beaches and jewel-like lakes. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, a 65-mile-long fjord, is a marine wilderness park, a living laboratory for observing the ebb and flow of glaciers, and a chance to study life as it returns in the wake of retreating ice. Tracy Arm cruising - Tracy Arm is a narrow 26-mile winding fjord that was once a glacier filled valley and is lined with sheer ice carved walls rising thousands of feet on each side. This spectacular fjord gives you a look at terrain most recently exposed by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. Countless numbers of waterfalls appear at each turn. Icebergs make their way out to sea in all sorts of wonderful shapes.

Mountain goats cling to the sheer cliffs of the fjord. The fjord ends spectacularly with the twin Sawyer Glaciers. In addition to the ports and glaciers you would see on an Inside Passage cruise as described above, on a Gulf of Alaska cruise you will also see some of the following depending on the cruise line and ship you are on. Prince William Sound - contains some 3,000 miles of shoreline backdropped by enormous glaciers, dense forests, and the snow-topped Chugach Mountains. Within Prince William Sound are a multitude of islands of varying sizes, largest being 50-mile-long Montague Island. These islands act as natural breakwaters from storms in the Gulf of Alaska. Protected waters and the many small inlets provide excellent opportunities for exploration in sea kayaks and small boats.Prince William Sound gained notoriety during the devastating 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez. The impacts from that spill are still being felt in parts of the region, but visitors are not likely to see any direct evidence of the damage. This is still a very beautiful place. College Fjord - At College Fjord, an inlet rimmed by icy crags, you sail past glacier after ghostly glacier.

The first serious explorers here were financed by a group of Ivy League colleges, hence the name. Seward - The original starting point of the Alaska Railroad, Seward retains the unspoiled air of a rustic fishing port. Not far from town is Harding Ice Field, an area three fourths the size of Rhode Island. Named for President Lincoln's U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, this tiny fishing village is encircled by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, the Chugach National Forest and Kenai Fjords National Park. Otters, seabirds, black bears and moose are just a few of the area's inhabitants. Whittier - At the head of the Passage Canal, originally was part of the portage route for the Chugach Indians of Prince William Sound traveling to fish the Turnagain Arm:later the Russians and Americans exploring the region also used this portage. It was used extensively by prospecting miners during the gold rush as it was the quickest passage from the Sound to the Cook Inlet and Interior regions.The city itself is a historical landmark, established by the U.S.

Army during World War II. The Whittier railroad to Portage was completed in 1943 and became the primary debarkation point for cargo, troops, and dependents of the Alaska Command. In 1948 the military began construction of the first of two buildings for their military personnel as the Port of Whittier was then recognized as an ice-free, deep water port strategically located to Anchorage and Interior Alaska. The city of Whittier, incorporated in 1969, purchased the town site from the federal government in 1973. Today, less than 300 people reside in the town supporting the Alaska State Ferry, the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Hydra Train, the military tank farm for aviation fuel, the Small Boat Harbor and tourism in general. You can see Birds, Sea Otter, Seal, Whale, Sea Lion, Porpoise, Glaciers, Waterfalls, (watch Horse Tail Falls flow up!) Goat, Deer, Bear and more in Whittier! Anchorage - Surrounded by all the beauty and activities of Alaska, Anchorage offers a unique blend of spectacular scenery, Russian and Native heritage, Alaskan adventure and big city amenities.

Alaska's largest city lies between the Knik and Turnagain arms of Cook Inlet and the rugged Chugach Mountains. It is home to more than 240,000 residents, 40 percent of the state's population, and serves as the financial, communications and transportation hub of Alaska. The municipal boundaries stretch for more than 50 miles from Portage Glacier to the head of Cook Inlet and encompass 1,955 square miles. Click here to see Gulf of Alaska Cruise Vacations Cruise lines that Sail Northbound from Vancouver and Southbound from Seward and Whittier Information about Gulf of Alaska Cruises - World Voyager Vacations Silversea Why should you choose a 7 day northbound or southbound cruise over a roundtrip from Vancouver or Seattle? Simple - If you are doing a 7 day roundtrip Inside Passage cruise, you are only going as far north as either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier. The second half of your trip is going back the same way you came. It is a great trip, but in reality, you are only seeing a small part of Alaska, only about 28% of it.

If you do a Gulf of Alaska cruise, you continue northward from Glacier Bay across the Gulf of Alaska into Prince William Sound, among the most pristine and beautiful places on earth. You are treated to spectacular views of College Fjord and the Ivy League Glaciers. You will be glad you went. You will then travel on to Seward through Kenai Fjords National Park, an incredible place to view marine wildlife. From Seward, you will travel across the Kenai Peninsula to Anchorage. From Anchorage, you will catch your flight home. The additional scenery and wildlife viewings will be rewarding. You will have seen much more of Alaska which will lead to a much richer experience. Here are the places you will visit on a typical Gulf of Alaska cruise. Your itinerary will include some, but not all of these ports of call. If you are doing a southbound cruise, the order would be reversed Vancouver BC - Scenic and sprawling, Vancouver is fronted by the Pacific, backed by the alluring Coast Range and dotted with green parks. The city's busy waterfront is within walking distance of its business center. Nearby you'll find leafy Stanley Park, exotic Chinatown and many fine museums.

Inside Passage Cruising - Enjoy such stunning sights as green islands, sparkling glaciers, and a coastline that features the most majestic of mountains as you cruise the Inside Passage. Juneau - Accessible only by sea or air, Alaska's modern capital city maintains the trappings of its 1880's gold-rush era. Discover the Capital building, historical distric and the infamous Red Dog Saloon. Nearby, explore the Mendenhall Glacier, a massive river of blue ice. Ketchikan - Built on an island along the watery Inside Passage of the southern end of Alaska, Ketchikan exudes a frontier spirit. It is known for its many totem poles, dramatically carved by Indian artists. Visit the quaint houses and shops on historic Creek Street, built on stilts along a stream. Skagway - When gold was discovered in the Klondike, the settlement of Skagway grew overnight from one cabin into a city of 20,000. The prospectors finally left, but the false-front buildings and boardwalks remain. Taste the history at the Red Onion Saloon or at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.

Sitka - Bounded by towering mountain peaks and the Alaska Marine Highway, Sitka boasts two pasts, as a Tlingit Indian village and as the capital of Russian America. Capture the spirit of both legacies at Sitka National Historic Park or at the elaborate Russian Orthodox St Michael's Cathedral. Icy Strait - Greys, Minks, Humpbacks and Orcas are just some of the impressive whales you may encounter along the Icy Straits in Alaska. With a forest-like atmosphere, the Straits offer a main feeding area for many marine mammals. Hiking or kayaking will be the perfect way to view these amazing mammals in their natural habitat. Haines - This historic town occupies a breaktaking setting on a peninsula along the deep blue waters of the Lynn Canal. Its Tlingit Indian heritage is preserve through art and dance at the Chilkat Center for the Arts. Visit the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve to see Alaska's most magmificent birds.

The Glaciers - Typically you will only visit one of these Glaciers (You won't be disappointed with any of them!) Hubbard Glacier cruising - Hubbard Glacier, longest tidewater glacier in North America, begins its 76 mile journey to the sea on the slopes of Mount Logan, the tallest moutain in Canada and part of the largest non-polar icefield in the world. At the point where it enters Disenchantment Bay, at the head of Yakutat Bay, it is 6 miles wide. Hubbard Glacier has been known to advance so fast that it dammed Russell Fjord and created a lake behind it, trapping many marine species. A dozen years after this phenomenon, the dam no longer exists, and Hubbard is no longer the galloping glacier it once was. But the continent's greatest tidewater river of ice stilll flows at a fast trot, regularly disgorging enormous calves into the waiting arms of the sea. Glacier Bay cruising - With it's snow capped mountains rising to over 15,000 feet, Glacier Bay is one of America's most spectacular National Parks.

Made up of a grand collection of jagged glaciers comprising an entire array of ecosystems, lush forests and protected coves open way to beautiful saltwater beaches and jewel-like lakes. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, a 65-mile-long fjord, is a marine wilderness park, a living laboratory for observing the ebb and flow of glaciers, and a chance to study life as it returns in the wake of retreating ice. Tracy Arm cruising - Tracy Arm is a narrow 26-mile winding fjord that was once a glacier filled valley and is lined with sheer ice carved walls rising thousands of feet on each side. This spectacular fjord gives you a look at terrain most recently exposed by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. Countless numbers of waterfalls appear at each turn. Icebergs make their way out to sea in all sorts of wonderful shapes. Mountain goats cling to the sheer cliffs of the fjord. The fjord ends spectacularly with the twin Sawyer Glaciers. In addition to the ports and glaciers you would see on an Inside Passage cruise as described above, on a Gulf of Alaska cruise you will also see some of the following depending on the cruise line and ship you are on.

Prince William Sound - contains some 3,000 miles of shoreline backdropped by enormous glaciers, dense forests, and the snow-topped Chugach Mountains. Within Prince William Sound are a multitude of islands of varying sizes, largest being 50-mile-long Montague Island. These islands act as natural breakwaters from storms in the Gulf of Alaska. Protected waters and the many small inlets provide excellent opportunities for exploration in sea kayaks and small boats.Prince William Sound gained notoriety during the devastating 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez. The impacts from that spill are still being felt in parts of the region, but visitors are not likely to see any direct evidence of the damage. This is still a very beautiful place. College Fjord - At College Fjord, an inlet rimmed by icy crags, you sail past glacier after ghostly glacier. The first serious explorers here were financed by a group of Ivy League colleges, hence the name. Seward - The original starting point of the Alaska Railroad, Seward retains the unspoiled air of a rustic fishing port. Not far from town is Harding Ice Field, an area three fourths the size of Rhode Island.

Named for President Lincoln's U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, this tiny fishing village is encircled by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, the Chugach National Forest and Kenai Fjords National Park. Otters, seabirds, black bears and moose are just a few of the area's inhabitants. Whittier - At the head of the Passage Canal, originally was part of the portage route for the Chugach Indians of Prince William Sound traveling to fish the Turnagain Arm:later the Russians and Americans exploring the region also used this portage. It was used extensively by prospecting miners during the gold rush as it was the quickest passage from the Sound to the Cook Inlet and Interior regions.The city itself is a historical landmark, established by the U.S. Army during World War II. The Whittier railroad to Portage was completed in 1943 and became the primary debarkation point for cargo, troops, and dependents of the Alaska Command.

In 1948 the military began construction of the first of two buildings for their military personnel as the Port of Whittier was then recognized as an ice-free, deep water port strategically located to Anchorage and Interior Alaska. The city of Whittier, incorporated in 1969, purchased the town site from the federal government in 1973. Today, less than 300 people reside in the town supporting the Alaska State Ferry, the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Hydra Train, the military tank farm for aviation fuel, the Small Boat Harbor and tourism in general. You can see Birds, Sea Otter, Seal, Whale, Sea Lion, Porpoise, Glaciers, Waterfalls, (watch Horse Tail Falls flow up!) Goat, Deer, Bear and more in Whittier! Anchorage - Surrounded by all the beauty and activities of Alaska, Anchorage offers a unique blend of spectacular scenery, Russian and Native heritage, Alaskan adventure and big city amenities. Alaska's largest city lies between the Knik and Turnagain arms of Cook Inlet and the rugged Chugach Mountains.

It is home to more than 240,000 residents, 40 percent of the state's population, and serves as the financial, communications and transportation hub of Alaska. The municipal boundaries stretch for more than 50 miles from Portage Glacier to the head of Cook Inlet and encompass 1,955 square miles. Click here to see Gulf of Alaska Cruise Vacations Exxon Valdez Explained Exxon Valdez Exxon Valdez Explained Oriental Nicety, formerly Exxon Valdez, Exxon Mediterranean, SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and Dong Fang Ocean, was an oil tanker that gained notoriety after running aground in Prince William Sound spilling hundreds of thousands of barrels of crude oil in Alaska. On March 24, 1989, while owned by the former Exxon Shipping Company , and captained by Joseph Hazelwood and First Mate James Kunkel [1] bound for Long Beach, California , the vessel ran aground on the Bligh Reef resulting in the second largest oil spill in United States history.

[2] The size of the spill is estimated to have been 40900to, or 257,000 to 750,000 barrels. [3] [4] In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was listed as the 54th largest spill in history. Carrier The tanker was 301 meters long, 51 meters wide, 26 meters depth (987 ft x 166 ft x 88 ft), with a deadweight of 214,861 long tons and a full-load displacement of 240,291 long tons. The ship was able to transport up to 235,000 m³ (1.48 million barrels ) at a sustained speed of 16.25 knots, powered by a (31,650 shp) diesel engine . Her hull design was of the single-hull type, constructed by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego , California. She was a relatively new tanker at the time of the spill, and was delivered to Exxon on December 16, 1986.

Incident and accidents Prince William Sound oil spill See main article: Exxon Valdez oil spill . At the time of the spill, Exxon Valdez was employed to transport crude oil from the Alyeska consortium's pipeline terminal in Valdez , Alaska, to the lower 48 states of the United States. At the time it ran aground, the vessel was carrying about 201,000 m³ (53.1 million gallons) of oil. After the spill, the vessel was towed to San Diego, arriving on June 10, 1989, and repairs were started on June 30, 1989. Approximately 1,600 tons of steel were removed and replaced that July, totaling US$30 million of repairs to the tanker. Her single-hull design remained unaltered. Litigation Litigation was filed on behalf of 38,000 litigants. In 1994, a jury awarded plaintiffs US $287 million in compensatory damages and US $5 billion in punitive damages. Exxon appealed and the Ninth Circuit Court reduced the punitive damages to US $2.5 billion.

Exxon then appealed the punitive damages to the Supreme Court which capped the damages to US $507.5 million in June, 2008. On August 27, 2008, Exxon Mobil agreed to pay 75% of the US $507.5 million damages ruling to settle the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska. [5] In June 2009, a federal ruling ordered Exxon to pay an additional US$480 million in interest on their delayed punitive damage awards. [6] Return to service After repairs, Exxon Valdez was renamed Exxon Mediterranean, then SeaRiver Mediterranean in the early 1990s, when Exxon transferred their shipping business to a new subsidiary company, River Maritime Inc. The name was later shortened to S/R Mediterranean, then to simply Mediterranean in 2005. Although Exxon tried briefly to return the ship to its North American fleet, it was prohibited by law from returning to Prince William Sound. [7] It then served in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. [8] In 2002, the ship was again removed from service.

[9] In 2005, it began operating under the Marshall Islands flag of convenience . [10] Since then, European Union regulations have also prevented vessels with single-hull designs such as the Valdez from entering European ports. [11] In early 2008, SeaRiver Maritime, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, sold Mediterranean to the Hong Kong-based shipping company, Hong Kong Bloom Shipping Ltd., which renamed the ship, once again, to Dong Fang Ocean, under Panama registry. In 2008, she was refitted and converted from an oil tanker to an ore carrier. Collision with MV Aali On November 29, 2010, Dong Fang Ocean collided in the South China Sea with the Malta-flagged cargo ship, Aali. Both vessels were severely damaged in the incident, and Aali was towed to Weihai and Dong Fang Ocean was towed to Longyan Port in Shandong . [12] Retirement In March 2012, Dong Fang Ocean was purchased by Global Marketing Systems, Inc. for scrap at an estimated US$16 million and sailed under her own power to a ship breaker in Singapore.

She changed hands again among scrap merchants (a common occurrence) and was eventually routed to Alang , India, under the ownership of Priya Blue Industries and at some point renamed Oriental Nicety. [13] Before being beached, some tried to halt the action, arguing that the vessel was in breach of the Basel Convention . [14] On 30 July 2012, the Supreme Court of India granted permission for the owners of Oriental Nicety to beach her at Gujarat coast to be dismantled. [15] She was then beached at Alang on 2 August 2012. [16] In popular culture The hull of Exxon Valdez makes a brief appearance in the 1995 film Waterworld , as a base for the villainous "smokers". "Exxon Valdez" is mentioned in the T.V. show Breaking Bad where a character compares another character's likeliness to 'spill' a secret with the aforementioned ship. "El Valdez" appeared in the Animated comedy American Dad! in the episode "You debt your life". A character is getting the captain of the ship drunk and the ship is seen crashing into an iceberg. Which references the oil spill in Alaska.

A popular joke at the time was: "What did the captain of the Valdez say to the first mate after it ran aground?" "I said TANQUERAY on the rocks." External links Web site: Emergency Response Division, Office of Response and Restoration, National Ocean Service. T/V Exxon Valdez . IncidentNews. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Department of Commerce. 2010. 25 June 2010. About Alaska Cruise Tours - Alaska Cruises and Land Tours About Alaska Cruise Tours About Us Alaska Cruise Tours See the Heart of Alaska Alaska Cruisetours require extra planning to find the right one that fits your interests, budget and time available. There are many things you may want to avoid to ensure you have a great Alaska vacation experience and aren't disappointed. The cruise lines have adopted many "cookie cutter" tours that are a very superficial look at what you went to Alaska to see. We can help you find one you understand up front and know exactly what you are going to get. We can also offer alternatives that may represent a much better value for your vacation dollars. An ounce of planning prevents a pound of disappointment.

Because of the extremely large number of Alaska cruisetour combinations, please fill out the price quote request or call us at 877 836-1949. There are a number of things to consider in cruisetours and it is important to find the one that is right for you. Eight to Sixteen Day Cruisetours The best of the best; Southeast Alaska Glacier Cruising with Heart of Alaska Interior Land Tours... the Full Alaska Vacation See all of Alaska. From the southeast by sea on a cruise ship to the interior Heart of Alaska by scenic railcar, motorcoach, plane or combination of all of the above, you will have the adventure of a lifetime. The rugged beauty and fascinating wildlife will excite you and make you glad you chose the complete Alaska package. The majesty of McKinley is not to be missed. Cruisetours can either begin in Vancouver BC and end in Anchorage or Fairbanks or vice versa. Often times, southbound cruises have more favorable pricing simply because most people prefer northbound. Either way you do it, you won't be disappointed. Cruise tours offer the best of both worlds, combining a seven-day cruise with a three-to-seven-night land tour.

All you have to do is decide where in Alaska that you'd like to go. With so many cruise tours to choose from, there's bound to be one that's just right for you! Let's Get Started..... Step 1 – Determine How Long A Vacation. Choose the number of days on land that you would like to add to your 7 night cruise: 3 nights - Provides a quick overview of Alaska's interior highlights 4 nights - Features Alaska's Highlights and the option of a longer stay 5 nights - Explore Alaska's Heartland at a more comfortable pace. 6 to 8 nights - The most relaxing cruise tours available Step 2 – Decide Where You Want to Go. See the most popular spots such as Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks, or take off and explore areas like Copper River, Kenai Peninsula, Prudhoe Bay, or the Yukon. Step 3 – Choose your Tour before or after Your Cruise. To start with your cruise, choose a Northbound sailing. To explore Alaska first and finish with a cruise, choose a Southbound sailing. Step 4 – Decide When You Want to Travel. The Alaska season is May to September, with the best prices for early and late summer dates.

Step 5 – Choose Your Stateroom. The least expensive are inside staterooms or upgrade to an ocean view stateroom, Balcony stateroom, or mini-suite. Step 6 - Take A look at the cruise search box above. It is already set to show you a wide variety of cruisetours available with pricing and special amenities. If you have a preference for a certain cruise line just select it and you will see all the current offers. Our personal recommendation for an outstanding Alaska cruisetour vacation would be as follows: Start your journey in Vancouver on a northbound cruise the last week of July or the first week in August when you have the greatest probability of the best weather. If your budget allows it, I highly recommend you take a balcony cabin on the aft (back) of the ship. This gives you a full view of both sides from the ship and a very comfortable windbreak to sit and take in the beautiful sights in the comfort of your own balcony without fighting the crowds. The balconies are a little bigger on the back of the ship and quite comfortable.

If a balcony on the back won't work for you, go with a balcony or oceanview stateroom on the starboard (right) side of the ship for maximum viewing of the land side for northbound cruises and the port side for southbound cruises. Once in Seward, opt to take the train across the Kenai Penisula to Anchorage if possible. It is more scenic and comfortable and opportunity for wildlife viewings may be a little greater. If you are arriving in Whittier, you won't have quite as scenic of a transfer to Anchorage but it will still be nice. Once in Anchorage, spend a bit of time at the Native Heritage Cultural Center and downtown Anchorage on 4th Street for the best shopping. A great meal at Simon & Seafort's will give you a taste of Alaskan King Crab at its best. From Anchorage, a scenic railcar trip to Talkeetna to view the majesty of Mt McKinley (Denali - The Great One) is a must. Talkeetna is a great little town with a lot of character.

For the most spectacular event of your life take the flightseeing trip to the top of McKinley from K2 Aviation in Talkeetna. The scenery is breathtaking and it gives you a real appreaciation for the enormity of the glaciers and the mountain. From Talkeetna, reboard the train for a journey to Denali National Park. A white water rafting trip will give you thrills and a view of the outback. A night at the Denali Dinner Theater is a fun way to enjoy the history and culture of Denali. We recommend you spend at least two nights there so you can do the Deep Tundra Wildlife Tour that goes 53 miles into the park instead of the Natural History Tour that only goes 15 miles in and is only 3 hours long. The deep tundra tour is where you will see the most wildlife and see the beauty of this great park. From Denali, reboard the train and head to Fairbanks. Along the way, opt for the Prime Rib Dinner aboard the train. You will not be disappointed. After spending the night in Fairbanks, be sure to do the Riverboat Discovery on the Chena River with a visit to the Chena Village.

It is a totally non commerical village where you see firsthand the native culture, traditions, crafts and customs. It is fascinating. If time permits, a visit to El Dorado Gold Mine is fun. After you complete the journey described above, you will come home having really experienced Alaska and all its spectacular beauty. You will have a lifetime of great memories and probably start thinking about when you can go back. It is truly the Great Land. If you've been to Alaska before and are looking for something a little different, Wilderness tours to Kenai or Copper River are outstanding. Even though remote, they have outstanding new lodges that provide great views and a lot of interesting activities. Copper River is a great place to see the TransAlaska Pipeline upclose. A jetboat tour on the river can give you incredible views of wildlife and the remote lifestyle Alaskan's cherish. A short flight to Kennicot and McCarthy can provide day of adventure ambling through the great copper mine and town and McCarthy shows you life in remote Alaska as it was and is. It is a real adventure. Whatever you choose to do, an Alaska Cruisetour is an experience like no other. Here are the places you will visit on a typical Alaska cruisetour.

Your itinerary will include some, but not all of these ports of call. If you are doing a southbound cruise, the order would be reversed Vancouver BC - Scenic and sprawling, Vancouver is fronted by the Pacific, backed by the alluring Coast Range and dotted with green parks. The city's busy waterfront is within walking distance of its business center. Nearby you'll find leafy Stanley Park, exotic Chinatown and many fine museums. Inside Passage Cruising - Enjoy such stunning sights as green islands, sparkling glaciers, and a coastline that features the most majestic of mountains as you cruise the Inside Passage. Juneau - Accessible only by sea or air, Alaska's modern capital city maintains the trappings of its 1880's gold-rush era. Discover the Capital building, historical distric and the infamous Red Dog Saloon. Nearby, explore the Mendenhall Glacier, a massive river of blue ice. Ketchikan - Built on an island along the watery Inside Passage of the southern end of Alaska, Ketchikan exudes a frontier spirit. It is known for its many totem poles, dramatically carved by Indian artists. Visit the quaint houses and shops on historic Creek Street, built on stilts along a stream.

Skagway - When gold was discovered in the Klondike, the settlement of Skagway grew overnight from one cabin into a city of 20,000. The prospectors finally left, but the false-front buildings and boardwalks remain. Taste the history at the Red Onion Saloon or at the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Sitka - Bounded by towering mountain peaks and the Alaska Marine Highway, Sitka boasts two pasts, as a Tlingit Indian village and as the capital of Russian America. Capture the spirit of both legacies at Sitka National Historic Park or at the elaborate Russian Orthodox St Michael's Cathedral. Icy Strait - Greys, Minks, Humpbacks and Orcas are just some of the impressive whales you may encounter along the Icy Straits in Alaska. With a forest-like atmosphere, the Straits offer a main feeding area for many marine mammals. Hiking or kayaking will be the perfect way to view these amazing mammals in their natural habitat. Haines - This historic town occupies a breaktaking setting on a peninsula along the deep blue waters of the Lynn Canal.

Its Tlingit Indian heritage is preserve through art and dance at the Chilkat Center for the Arts. Visit the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve to see Alaska's most magmificent birds. The Glaciers - Typically you will only visit one of these Glaciers (You won't be disappointed with any of them!) Hubbard Glacier cruising - Hubbard Glacier, longest tidewater glacier in North America, begins its 76 mile journey to the sea on the slopes of Mount Logan, the tallest moutain in Canada and part of the largest non-polar icefield in the world. At the point where it enters Disenchantment Bay, at the head of Yakutat Bay, it is 6 miles wide. Hubbard Glacier has been known to advance so fast that it dammed Russell Fjord and created a lake behind it, trapping many marine species. A dozen years after this phenomenon, the dam no longer exists, and Hubbard is no longer the galloping glacier it once was. But the continent's greatest tidewater river of ice stilll flows at a fast trot, regularly disgorging enormous calves into the waiting arms of the sea.

Glacier Bay cruising - With it's snow capped mountains rising to over 15,000 feet, Glacier Bay is one of America's most spectacular National Parks. Made up of a grand collection of jagged glaciers comprising an entire array of ecosystems, lush forests and protected coves open way to beautiful saltwater beaches and jewel-like lakes. Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, a 65-mile-long fjord, is a marine wilderness park, a living laboratory for observing the ebb and flow of glaciers, and a chance to study life as it returns in the wake of retreating ice. Tracy Arm cruising - Tracy Arm is a narrow 26-mile winding fjord that was once a glacier filled valley and is lined with sheer ice carved walls rising thousands of feet on each side. This spectacular fjord gives you a look at terrain most recently exposed by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age. Countless numbers of waterfalls appear at each turn. Icebergs make their way out to sea in all sorts of wonderful shapes. Mountain goats cling to the sheer cliffs of the fjord. The fjord ends spectacularly with the twin Sawyer Glaciers. Continuing on across the Gulf of Alaska...

Prince William Sound - contains some 3,000 miles of shoreline backdropped by enormous glaciers, dense forests, and the snow-topped Chugach Mountains. Within Prince William Sound are a multitude of islands of varying sizes, largest being 50-mile-long Montague Island. These islands act as natural breakwaters from storms in the Gulf of Alaska. Protected waters and the many small inlets provide excellent opportunities for exploration in sea kayaks and small boats.Prince William Sound gained notoriety during the devastating 1989 spill of oil from the Exxon Valdez. The impacts from that spill are still being felt in parts of the region, but visitors are not likely to see any direct evidence of the damage. This is still a very beautiful place. College Fjord - At College Fjord, an inlet rimmed by icy crags, you sail past glacier after ghostly glacier. The first serious explorers here were financed by a group of Ivy League colleges, hence the name. Seward - The original starting point of the Alaska Railroad, Seward retains the unspoiled air of a rustic fishing port. Not far from town is Harding Ice Field, an area three fourths the size of Rhode Island.

Named for President Lincoln's U.S. Secretary of State William Seward, who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867, this tiny fishing village is encircled by the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, the Chugach National Forest and Kenai Fjords National Park. Otters, seabirds, black bears and moose are just a few of the area's inhabitants. Whittier - At the head of the Passage Canal, originally was part of the portage route for the Chugach Indians of Prince William Sound traveling to fish the Turnagain Arm:later the Russians and Americans exploring the region also used this portage. It was used extensively by prospecting miners during the gold rush as it was the quickest passage from the Sound to the Cook Inlet and Interior regions.The city itself is a historical landmark, established by the U.S. Army during World War II. The Whittier railroad to Portage was completed in 1943 and became the primary debarkation point for cargo, troops, and dependents of the Alaska Command.

In 1948 the military began construction of the first of two buildings for their military personnel as the Port of Whittier was then recognized as an ice-free, deep water port strategically located to Anchorage and Interior Alaska. The city of Whittier, incorporated in 1969, purchased the town site from the federal government in 1973. Today, less than 300 people reside in the town supporting the Alaska State Ferry, the Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Hydra Train, the military tank farm for aviation fuel, the Small Boat Harbor and tourism in general. You can see Birds, Sea Otter, Seal, Whale, Sea Lion, Porpoise, Glaciers, Waterfalls, (watch Horse Tail Falls flow up!) Goat, Deer, Bear and more in Whittier! Anchorage - Surrounded by all the beauty and activities of Alaska, Anchorage offers a unique blend of spectacular scenery, Russian and Native heritage, Alaskan adventure and big city amenities. Alaska's largest city lies between the Knik and Turnagain arms of Cook Inlet and the rugged Chugach Mountains.

It is home to more than 240,000 residents, 40 percent of the state's population, and serves as the financial, communications and transportation hub of Alaska. The municipal boundaries stretch for more than 50 miles from Portage Glacier to the head of Cook Inlet and encompass 1,955 square miles. Talkeetna - Talkeetna is located in the shadow of Denali, at the junction of three rivers, offering scenic vistas, flightseeing to Mt. McKinley, world-class salmon fishing, rafting and boating excursions, and a wide variety of other Alaskan adventures. It provides the traveler a look at the real Alaska as well as the best view of McKinley and the Alaska Range. Reached year round by car, train or plane, Talkeetna is a unique village that has been almost untouched by commercialism Denali - It's more than a mountain. Denali National Park & Preserve features North America's highest mountain, 20,320-foot tall Mount McKinley. The Alaska Range also includes countless other spectacular mountains and many large glaciers.

Denali's more than 6 million acres also encompass a complete sub-arctic eco-system with large mammals such as grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, and moose. The park was established as Mt. McKinley National Park on Feb. 26, 1917. The original park was designated a wilderness area and incorporated into Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980. The Park was designated an international biosphere reserve in 1976. Today the park accommodates a wide variety of visitor use including wildlife viewing, mountaineering, and backpacking. It continues to provide a laboratory for research in the natural sciences. Fairbanks - Before the construction of the Alaska Highway, the establishment of military bases and Alaska joining the Union as the 49th state, Fairbanks was a bustling mining town in the middle of the largest territories in the United States. Felix Pedro, an Italian immigrant, is credited with the initial discovery of gold in 1902. As luck would have it, Captain E.T. Barnette's goal of building a trading post on the banks of the Chena River coincided with key gold strikes north of town.

Subsequently, Fairbanks was incorporated by a 75% majority vote in 1903. One hundred years later, the small boomtown has a diversified economy, with oil, gas, gold and coal mining, military, tourism and the University of Alaska as key components. Fairbanks continues in its role as the services hub and gateway to Alaska's Interior and Arctic. With a population of close to 32,000, Fairbanks' citizenry swells to 82,000 when including the surrounding Fairbanks North Star Borough. With key discoveries in the surrounding hills and creeks following Felix Pedro’s gold strike in 1902, prospectors spread out to pan and sluice, followed by small manual drift mines and draglines to the monster floating dredges and lode mines. Historic visitor attractions and modern day mining operations celebrate the quest for gold as Fairbanks enters its second century. Try your hand at gold panning and uncover your own Alaskan gold. See the largest public display of gold in the state at the UA Museum. Visit the Pedro Monument in tribute to gold’s first discovery. Find that perfect gold nugget souvenir to take back home.

Discover why Fairbanks is the “Golden Heart” city. Kenai Peninsula - Filled with incredible natural wonders ... 1. Four Active Volcanoes Are the media downplaying the Gulf oil leak? Are the media downplaying the Gulf oil leak? Jack R. writes: I was wondering if you have any thoughts on the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico? The ho-hum coverage by the left-stream media unnerves me. I think it is a contrarian indicator. Instead of the usual “We’re all gonna die!” treatment we normally get from them, the Big News attitude seem half-hearted, thinking of how not to harm Obama’s image. This disaster could be a turning point in history, my gut tells me. LA replies: Here’s a three day old update from BP They’re working on several things they will try again this week, nothing is assured. If nothing works, then this continues for weeks, months, far transcending Exxon Valdez. It may only be stopped when they drill a second well and that would take months. Of course the media are downplaying this non-Katrina event for the non-Katrina president. LA continues: Now here’s an article in the NYT saying that the leak is far worse than had been believed.

And guess what? the L-dotters are saying that the story is a liberal plot. So your view is that the liberals are covering up the truth that the leak is much worse than is generally believed; and the L-dotters’ view is that the liberals are spreading a false story that the leak is much worse than believed. Jack R. replies: I guess my main point is: This open wound in the Gulf terrifies me, and I think the always wrong big media’s half-hearted coverage is very disturbing, not in a political sense, but in a sense that deep down, the elites don’t know their blanks from their elbows. If the situation were trivial, the doomsaying would fill the universe. Up to maybe 200,000 barrels a day of oil spewing into the Gulf, and all we get is very cautious coverage. I think a catastrophe, a nation changer could be brewing, and the ivory tower’s lack of alarm confirms it. - end of initial entry - Roberrt B.

from Minnesota writes: The 1979 Gulf leak was far worse than this is—by a long shot: LA replies: Wikipedia says: Ixtoc I was an exploratory oil well in the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche in waters 50 m (160 ft) deep. On 3 June 1979, the well suffered a blowout and is recognized as the second largest oil spill and the largest accidental spill in history…. In the next nine months, experts and divers (including Red Adair) were brought in to contain and cap the oil well. Approximately an average of ten thousand to thirty thousand barrels per day were discharged into the Gulf until it was finally capped on 23 March 1980.[6] Prevailing currents carried the oil towards the Texas coastline. The US government had two months to prepare booms to protect major inlets.

Eventually, in the US, 162 miles (261 km) of beaches and 1421 birds were affected by 3,000,000 barrels (480,000 m3) of oil. Mexico rejected US requests to be compensated for cleanup costs. Now, how does the 3 million barrels spilt in the 1979-80 incident compare to the Exxon Valdez disaster? Wikpedia : The ship gained notoriety after the March 24, 1989 oil spill in which the tanker, captained by Joseph Hazelwood and bound for Long Beach, California, hit Prince William Sound’s Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated minimum 40,900 mÂ³ (10.8 million US gallons) of crude oil in Alaska. This has been recorded as one of the largest spills in United States history and one of the largest ecological disasters. In 1999, the Exxon Valdez oil spill was listed as the 53rd largest spill in history.

So Exxon Valdez, the most famous oil spill in the popular conscousness, spilled 40,900 cubic meters of crude, less than one tenth of the Ixtoc I incident which spilled 480,000 cubic meters, and I’ve never heard of the latter incident. I don’t know what this means. Now how much is being spilled in the BP disaster. According to the linked article in today’s NYT: Scientists studying video of the gushing oil well have tentatively calculated that it could be flowing at a rate of 25,000 to 80,000 barrels of oil a day. The latter figure would be 3.4 million gallons a day. But the government, working from satellite images of the ocean surface, has calculated a flow rate of only 5,000 barrels a day. So the estimates range from 5,000 barrels a day, to between 25,000 and 80,000 barrels a day, with 80,000 barrels equaling 3.4 million gallons.

It gets difficult to relate these various reports together, what with three different units of measurement being used, gallons, square meters, and barrels. But Ixtoc 1 leaked a total 3 million barrels (though Wikipedia is ambigous on that point—that may be just the amount that affected the U.S. coast). According to the just quoted high estimate of the BP oil spill , it is spilling 80,000 barrels a day. The BP oil spill began April 20. At a rate of 80,000 barrels per day, by May 20 it will have spilled 2.4 million barrels, many times more than Exxon Valdez but less than the Ixtoc 1. If it continues for another month, which is entirely possible, it will have leaked 4.8 million barrels, far more than Ixtoc 1. If it continues for a total of six months, it will have spilled 14.4 million barrels, almost five times more than the Istoc 1, the previously largest accidental spill in history.

LA adds (11:30 p.m.) Please note: the 80,000 barrels a day figure that I used above is the very highest estimate which has just been made recently by scientists who believe the official estimate is way too low. The estimate still officially used by the government and BP is 5,000 barrels a day. At that much lower rate of leakage, after one month the total spill will be 150,000 gallons, which, at 42 gallons per barrel of petroleum, equals 6.3 million gallons, compared to the 10.8 million gallons of Exxon Valdez, or 58.3 percent of Exxon Valdez. Furthermore, there is very hopeful news tonight from AP: HAMMOND, La. (May 16)—In a significant step toward containing a massive Gulf of Mexico oil leak, BP said a mile-long tube was funneling crude Sunday from a blown well to a tanker ship after three days of wrestling to get the stopgap measure into place on the seafloor.

BP says (in the AP’s words) that the tube is “containing most of the oil coming from the pipe, which is contributing an estimated 85 percent of the crude in the spill,” and that the amount being carried by the tube is gradually being increased. This means that the amount of spillage has just been reduced by about half. If the true rate of spillage (prior to the installation of this tube) was 5,000 gallons a day, and if this progress keeps up, the spillage will fall well short of that of the Exxon Valdez. The Exxon Valdez, as ruinous as it was for the people and industries it directly affected, was not a civilization changing event. Paul K. writes: While the oil leak in the Gulf is a great concern, I do not understand why it should reflect on the Obama administration. I didn’t think the Katrina aftermath reflected as badly on the Bush administration as the media claimed it did, but I understood that there was a different dynamic there. The aftermath of Katrina showed America how African-Americans behave when left to their own devices, and this revelation was so contrary to the liberal worldview that it was necessary to focus the dismay on a different target, President Bush.

Bush was the scapegoat for the behavior of American blacks. I have no reason to believe that President Obama would be able to do anything substantively different than Bush did in the event of another Katrina. Jeff W. writes: There are two other things that terrify me about the oil blowout in the Gulf: One is the red color of the oil in this excellent amateur video . The other is Revelation 8:8-9. The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. Brandon M. writes: Regarding the comment by Jeff W. on the Gulf oil leak and his quoting of Revelation 8:8-9, Revelation is symbolic, not literal. Posted by Lawrence Auster at May 16, 2010 05:39 PM | Send Exxon Valdez : Wikis (The Full Wiki) The Full Wiki More info on Exxon Valdez Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article!

This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article is about the oil tanker. For the spill, see Exxon Valdez oil spill . The Exxon Valdez, 1989 The port of Valdez, Alaska Ordered: Hong Kong Bloom Shipping Ltd. In service: In service as ore carrier General characteristics 211,469 tons (214,862 metric tons) Length: 31,650 bhp (23,601kW) at 79rpm Propulsion: Eight-cylinder, reversible, slow-speed Sulzer marine diesel engine. Speed: 16.25 knots (30.10 km/h; 18.70 mph) Capacity: 1.48 million barrels (235,000 m³) of crude oil Crew: 21 Exxon Valdez was the original name of an oil tanker owned by the former Exxon Shipping Company, a division of the former Exxon Corporation.

It was later called Exxon Mediterranean, [3] SeaRiver Mediterranean, S/R Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and currently Dong Fang Ocean. The ship gained infamy after the March 24, 1989 oil spill in which the tanker, captained by Joseph Hazelwood and bound for Long Beach , California , hit Prince William Sound 's Bligh Reef and spilled an estimated minimum 10.8 million US gallons (40.9 million litres) of crude oil. This has been recorded as one of the largest spills in United States history and one of the largest ecological disasters. [4] Career The tanker is 987 feet long, 166 feet wide, and 88 feet in depth (301 meters by 50 meters by 27 meters), weighing 30,000 tons empty and powered by a 31,650 shp (23.60 MW) diesel engine . The ship can transport up to 1.48 million barrels (200,000 t) at a sustained speed of 16.25 knots (30 km/h). Its hull design is of the single-hull type.

It was built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego . A relatively new tanker at the time of the spill, it was delivered to Exxon in December 1986. At the time of the spill the Exxon Valdez was employed to transport crude oil from the Alyeska consortium 's pipeline terminal in Valdez, Alaska , to the lower 48 states of the United States . At the time it ran aground, the vessel was carrying about 1.26 million barrels of oil, (about 53 million US gallons or 200 million litres). After the spill, the vessel was towed to San Diego , arriving on June 10, 1989, and repairs were started on June 30, 1989. Approximately 1,600 tons of steel were removed and replaced that July, totaling $30 million of repairs to the tanker. Its single-hull design remained unaltered. After repairs, the Exxon Valdez was renamed the Exxon Mediterranean, then SeaRiver Mediterranean in the early 1990s, when Exxon transferred their shipping business to a new subsidiary company, SeaRiver Maritime Inc.

The name was later shortened to S/R Mediterranean, then to simply Mediterranean in 2005. Although Exxon tried briefly to return the ship to its North American fleet, it was prohibited by law from returning to Prince William Sound. [5] It then served in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. [6] In 2002, the ship was again removed from service. [7] . [8] In 2005, it began operating under the Marshall Islands flag of convenience . [9] Since then, European Union regulations have also prevented vessels with single-hull designs such as the Valdez from entering European ports. [10] It is currently in service in East Asia. In early 2008, SeaRiver Maritime, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, sold the Mediterranean to a Hong Kong-based shipping company named Hong Kong Bloom Shipping Ltd., which renamed the ship once again as Dong Fang Ocean, now under Panama registry. During 2008, the ship was refitted, converting it from an oil tanker to an ore carrier. Dong Fang Ocean remains in service as of 2009 in this new configuration.

Litigation Litigation was filed on behalf of 38,000 litigants, 32,000 of whom are alive today. In 1994, a jury awarded plaintiffs $287 million in compensatory damages and $5 billion in punitive damages. Exxon appealed and the Ninth Circuit court reduced the punitive damages to $2.5 billion. Exxon then appealed the punitive damages to the Supreme Court which capped the damages to $507.5 million in June, 2008. On August 27, 2008, Exxon Mobil agreed to pay 75% of the $507.5 million damages ruling to settle the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill off Alaska. [11] In June 2009, a federal ruling ordered Exxon to pay an additional $480 million in interest on their delayed punitive damage awards [12] According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there are approximately 26,000 gallons of Valdez crude oil still in Alaska's sand and soil. [13] References

Question: Which ship gained notoriety when it spilt oil all over Prince William Sound in Alaska in 1989.
Answer: Exxon Valdez